22 
a very depraved taste in the species, some larvae he beat eating those of 
Thecla w-album kept with them, but it is probable that the pangs of 
hunger makes many larvae cannibal, even although this be not their usual 
custom. The young larvae of this species can be beaten in June, and 
these appear to live in a state of nature differently from citrago (between 
leaves) or fulvago and flavago (in catkins). The species frequently 
abounds in the larval state in different parts of Yorkshire and Derbyshire. 
At Cambridge, the imago sometimes swarms at the gas-lamps on the 
outskirts of the town. At Reading, it frequently comes somewhat freely 
to sugar. Of their attraction to light, Mr. Holland suggests that they 
come to gas-lamps in the town more than any other Xanthia, probably 
not because they are more easily so attracted than their brethren, but 
rather because of the avenues of elms among the lamps in the suburbs 
of the town. It is recorded from Flintshire, but I know of no Irish 
captures, and Dr. Buchanan White tells me that it was once said to 
have been taken in Sutherland, but the evidence was not sufficiently 
satisfactory. I never remember having seen or heard of Irish or 
Scotch specimens. Dr. Staudinger gives as its range:—“ Central 
Europe ; ” and for var. palleago :—“ S. France and N. Italy (?).” 
Mellinia cir cellar is. —It is very doubtful whether this species, which 
has of recent years been placed in Xanthia by British entomologists, and 
in Orthosia by German entomologists, is not so classified rather on 
superficial resemblances than because there is any real affinity, and, 
superficially, the imago would incline one rather to place it with Orthosia 
than Xanthia. It has been placed in the latter genus most likely because 
of the similarity of the larvae of this species with gilvago, and this in itself 
would be a good reason if the character of the egg and pupa supported 
it; but alone, we have to bear in mind that many full-grown larvae of 
NocTUiE with similar habits are very much alike, although the egg, 
pupa and imago show them to be widely different. So it may be here, 
and until some proper study has been made of the egg and pupa, I 
prefer retaining Stephens’ genus for the species. Cir cellar is is, of 
course, altogether larger, of a different colour, and with different 
markings from any other of the usually supposed Xanthia species. It 
varies in ground colour from a pale ochreous brown, through a bright 
reddish-brown, to a deep fuscous. These three forms have all been 
named by old authors, the pale form being Hufnagel’s type ; the red 
form, Hiibner’s ferruginea ; whilst the suffused form is Hiibner’s 
macilenta. 
The eggs are laid in the autumn, usually on wych-elm, and it is 
generally widely distributed and abundant. The larva hatches in the 
spring, and is frequently beaten with that of gilvago from wych-elm. 
When nearly full-fed, except that the larva of circellaris is larger, they 
are much alike, and the brotherhood in habit has possibly led to a 
similarity of appearance which has given the notion of brotherhood in 
structure. At any rate, Mr. Buckler writes of this species under the 
name of ferruginea :—“ Though a trifle larger, yet in form and struc¬ 
ture this larva closely resembles that of gilvago , with the following 
exceptions:—1. The ground colour is of a browner tint, sometimes of 
an ochreous brown. 2. The series of dark central marks on the back, 
with their dark wedges, assume together more compact forms of an urn 
shape, being attenuated behind, so that a constant character appears 
in the hinder pair of tubercular dots being outside the dark urn shapes. 
